board - Polska Izba Przemysłu Targowego

CRITERIA OF SELECTING
APPROPRIATE TRADE FAIR EVENT
Improperly conducted process of
selection generates unnecessary high
costs connected with trade fair activity.
In consequence, the exhibitor starts to
believe in low effectiveness of trade fair
marketing, which forms his negative attitude
to the “institution of trade fairs”.
In order to avoid this, it is worth following
a set of recommendations which
may minimize the risk of failure resulting
from participation in a wrongly-selected
event.
DEFINED CRITERIA
Selection of a trade fair or exhibition
mostly comes down to defi ning criteria,
according to which the selection will be
made, and then using them to make the
right decisions. Among the basic determinants
of selection there are, above
all, the objectives of trade fair activity
and the “parameters” of the event itself,
such as its theme, range, expected
number of participants (exhibitors and
visitors), and the program of accompanying
events.
Before selecting an event, the exhibitor
must be aware of the objectives,
which he wants to realize through
participation in a fair or exhibition. It is
because contemporary trade fairs and
exhibitions are a multifunctional form
of marketing communication, which allows
for the realization of many objectives
at the same time. When participating
with one’s own stand, one can,
among others: demonstrate the presence
of the company on the market;
emphasize its position in the industry;
present new products and learn about
the reaction of clients to the products
already launched on the market; create
or strengthen the company or brand image;
draw the attention of the media to
the presented offer. The exhibitor, however,
must remember that, out of many
possible objectives, only some may be
realized during several trade fair days.
B2B TRADE FAIRS
The trend of more and more specialized
trade fairs, which has been observed
for many years, resulted in the
situation that, at present, there is no
sector which does not have its own fair
or exhibition (organized domestically or
abroad). Such events, targeted at professionals,
are called B2B fairs (business-to-business).
They attract people
who, professionally or privately, deal
with a given (often very narrow) fi eld.
For the future exhibitor, who does not
have extensive experience in trade
fair activities, fi nding such an event
may cause a certain problem. Making
a decision about selecting trade fairs
optimal for the company requires gathering
current information on possible
alternatives which can be taken into
consideration. In order to deal with this
problem, the future exhibitor should
use the commonly accessible sources
of information. Among them, it is worth
looking at:
� trade magazines;
III. TRADE FAIR MARKETING. RESEARCH
One of the key elements of the process of preparing for participation in trade fairs and exhibitions is selecting
the event, the participation in which will allow the future exhibitor to achieve all desired marketing objectives.
Making a wrong decision connected with participation in a wrongly-selected fair wastes the effort of people,
who spend several months creating the stand and organizing the participation in the event.
� institutions connected with the
exhibition industry (e.g. Polish
Chamber of Exhibition Industry,
representatives of foreign trade
fairs in Poland);
� printed promotional materials
published by trade fair organizers
(catalogues, programs, brochures)
and trade fair advertisements in
the media;
� websites of trade fair organizers
and subject-specifi c portals
dedicated to trade fairs and exhibitions.
Also experiences of company employees
should be taken into consideration;
experiences which result from
previous participation in trade fairs or
exhibitions (as exhibitors or visitors).
The exhibitor, on the basis of gathered
information, may shortlist events
which may be interesting and suitable
for him. When making a choice, in the
pre-selection stage, the exhibitor should
take into consideration most of all: the
profi le (detailed theme) of the fair, range
SELECTION OF TRADE FAIRS
WHEN MAKING A CHOICE, IN THE PRE-SELECTION PHASE,
THE EXHIBITOR SHOULD TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION MOST OF ALL:
� the profi le (detailed theme) of the fair,
� range of its infl uence,
� the possibility of reaching established and prospective target groups,
� date of the event, (which limits the time span of preparations),
�
expected costs of participation (which, in the case of foreign trade fairs,
may be high). Within this last criterion, consideration must be taken of
both direct costs (resulting from the rent of exhibition space, design
and construction of the stand, its assembly, accommodation and food
for staff) and indirect costs (including, for example, the cost of travel of
company representatives to and from the fair, insurance and security of
the exposition).
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